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The No. 15 seeded Florida Gulf Coast Eagles are giving No. 7 seeded San Diego St. Aztecs all they can handle in this first half. At the half the Aztecs hold just a 35-34 lead over the Eagles. The game started at a break neck pace which was even faster then what San Diego State likes to play.
The Aztecs were keeping pace they missed a few layups just because they were going too fast and taking bad shots. San Diego State settled down and their defense stepped and did not allow the dunk fast that Florida Gulf Coast is known for, including this amazing alley-oop:
However, the San Diego State defense was giving up three's to Florida Gulf Coast with five, and four of those were wide open. The Eagles are 5 of 9 from beyond the arc, and the Aztecs need to step up and pressure the outside shot more. San Diego State has six steals and forced eight turnovers, and they need to keep that up in the second half. Mainly they need to contest Florida Gulf Coast's shots because they are shooting 54 percent from the field.
On offense, the Aztecs are getting another good game from James Rahon who has eight points off the bench, and Jamaal Franklin is leading the way with nine ponts on 4 of 6 shooting and has six rebounds plus a pair of steals. As a team San Diego State is shooting just 43 percent.
Rebounding has favored the Aztecs as they have 14 total and six offensive boards, and those offensive rebounds have allowed San Diego State to have nine second chance points to Florida Gulf Coast's three. That is how the Aztecs are leading at the half.
San Diego State needs to step up their defense and shoot a little bit better in the second half, especially from beyond the arc if they are going to win.